I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person in question was granted a right of residency in the State in 2001 on the basis of family reunification i.e. as a family member of a recognised refugee. The person's current residency status is under consideration and he will be contacted in due course in this regard.
A determination on whether an applicant satisfies the statutory criteria attendant to naturalisation can only be made after an application is received. It is open to any individual to lodge an application for a certificate of naturalisation if and when they are in a position to meet the statutory requirements as prescribed in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. Detailed information on naturalisation, including the relevant application forms and guidelines, is available on the INIS website at www.inis.gov.ie.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.